Shop at your go-to New Orleans record store for some pretty, colorful, limited-edition vinyl.
Wait, wasn’t Record Store Day just here? Yes, it was. And yes, it's time for another Record Store Day Drop. Just like outdoor dining, house floats, and working from home, Record Store Day Drops are a pandemic-induced change that we hope sticks around. Launched during the stay-at-home order to revitalize mom-and-pop record stores and put money in the pockets of musicians whose tours were grounded by the pandemic, Record Store Day Drops, a series of special, limited-edition records released at intervals over the course of the year, have become a beloved new tradition. Now that the in-person portion of the party is back, we’re doubly stoked. Here are some of the new releases we're thrilled to have hit our New Orleans record store shelves.
Fats Domino, “Here Comes …Fats Domino”
Looking for the perfect album to kick off your shoes to and slow dance with your sweetheart while gumbo simmers on the stove and your friends kick back on the porch with Abita Ambers and vape pens in hand? This is the one. It’s a 1963 classic not issued since 1975, and the snazzy purple vinyl is somehow evocative of Fats Domino’s iconic yellow house. Plus, that 1960s rhythm and blues just cries out to be played on a record. Buy this and join the 110 million people who have bought Fats Domino’s records over the decades. They can’t be wrong (and they aren’t).
Peter Gabriel, “Live Blood”
It’s called Live Blood…and the album is red! Pretty cool, right? Well, it doesn’t stop there. New Blood Orchestra recorded the collection of covers of 22 of Gabriel’s favorite songs from his solo career. OK, the blood references stop there, but trust us when we say these emotional, soaring orchestral takes will make your heart skip a beat. (Sorry, they did not stop there.) Here’s what Gabriel had to say: “We took away guitar, we took away bass, we took away drum kit, and in a way that meant that we were more committed and had only to use the colors of the palette of the orchestra.” One of which is…blood red.
Nicki Minaj, “Beam Me Up, Scotty”
Hard to believe the perpetually buoyant butt of this Trinidadian rapper has been a mainstay in hip-hop for almost 20 years—Minaj gets older, but it stays the same age. New Orleans hometown hero Lil Wayne plays a huge role on this 2009 record, which Minaj credits with sharpening her musical skills. And Weezy himself helped her become the Queen of Rap: "I can't even imagine my career, um, my creative spirit without Wayne. [...] I feel like I'm still intertwined with him creatively,” Minaj said.
Morcheeba, “Antidote”
Morcheeba is so much more than a band to be cracked out to at an after-hours club in the 1990s, although we admit their sound does evoke that image. This 2005 release is a departure from that vibe, with a new (for the time) singer— Daisy Martey— and lots of blippy sounds and Ren-Faire wind instruments, but it somehow works.
Shop New and Used Records at Mushroom New Orleans This Saturday, June 18
Are you a diehard crate digger? Check out our vast selection of new and used records. Founded in 1969, Mushroom New Orleans is the oldest independent record store and smoke shop in New Orleans. Since we offer music for sale or trade, people often unload their collections with us, so you never know when the next shipment’s coming in or what it will hold.
We hope to see you at Mushroom New Orleans for this weekend's drop. We're open from 10 a.m. to midnight daily. It's worth the trip!
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